Return of the Elders
by Shin-Ashura
Summary: An evil from the ancient world wakes, and is out for revenge. Sequel to Reality shock. Part 2 of ?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters are property of SEGA. Ashura is mine though. I am writing this for entertainment purposes only, and am getting nothing tangible in return.

**Return of the Elders**

**Chapter 0: Prologue**

_"It's been a year since I got out of the hospital after the ARK incident, and things have been pretty peaceful, other than the Metal Sonic attack and the Black Arms invasion."_

"Could you hold the light a little higher Tails? I can't quite see what the problem is."

"Sure." He raised the flashlight a bit.

"Perfect."

I connected the wires to the terminal and the machine whirred to life.

"There we go."

"Thanks for the help, Ashura."

"No problem."

_"I'd moved in with Tails at his workshop in the Mystic Ruins. I helped him with some of his inventions and soon tried making some of my own. It turned out that I had real a knack for engineering. I actually had several patents and a steady income from an electronics company where my creations were being sold."_

Tails came into the living room where I was watching the news and fine-tuning my latest invention.

"Your check came today Ashura."

"Great! Let's see how much I made this month."

I opened the envelope Tails handed me and stared at the contents in shock.

"What is it?" Tails asked. I handed him the check and he nearly fainted. "Half a million dollars! I can't believe it! That new CD player must've sold really well!"

_"I really enjoyed the Mystic Ruins. There was plenty of space to run, and there was even a Chao garden nearby. I got a really big surprise the first time I visited."_

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"I don't know, Sonic. I've got some projects back at the workshop that I wanted to get done today." I replied.

We were at the entrance to the Mystic Ruins Chao garden. Sonic wanted me to come with him to visit his running-type Chao, Speedy. I didn't want to go, but Sonic kept pestering me until I relented. We entered the portal that would take us to Chao World. Sonic passed through the gates to the Hero Garden, and I followed him.

"DADDY!"

A white blob flew through the air and attached itself to my leg. _Daddy?_ I thought as I pried the large Chao off of my leg.

I held it up to get a better look. Its skin was a milky white, with a triangle of red around its neck and patches of pink on its hands and feet. There was a small pair of wings on its back, and a trio of reddish horns were sprouting from the top of its head. And finally, there was a golden halo floating a few inches over its head.

_No way... It can't be..._ "Tango?" I said the last part out loud. Tango the Chao cooed and fluttered its wings.

_"Tango was the Chao I was raising in my copy of SA2B. I had no idea how he got here, but I was glad I had something to connect me to the days this was all just a game. When I first came here, I guess I was in denial that I had actually been transformed into a hedgehog, and been brought into another universe, one where Sonic the hedgehog was a real person. It didn't really hit me until after I was released from the hospital. When it did, I spent the entire day pining for my home. I'd never been very close to my family, but I missed them anyway. Still do, in fact, though not as much."_

_"The pain quickly faded, being replaced by a sense of elation at the thought that I was close friends with Sonic the Hedgehog, defender of the weak and protector of the people. I could hardly believe that I was one of the few people in the world who spoke to Sonic on a regular basis."_

Sonic had come over for our weekly pizza and video game night. I grabbed a slice of cheese and sat down.

"Ready to lose again?" I asked him.

"No way!"

I grabbed my controller and turned on the power.

_"In all the times we've played, Sonic has never beaten me once. It's pathetic, really."_

_"Tomorrow I'm gonna try to tell the others the truth about me. They'll understand, right? What's the worst that could happen?"_

**A/N: Dun-dun-DUUNNN... We all know what happens when someone says that...**

**This was the first chapter of my newest story. This one will uncover the truth of Ashura and why I became him. I hope you all like it and leave plenty of reviews!**

**Shin-Ashura**


	2. Confessions

Disclaimer: I'll make it short & sweet. If it's in a comic, show, or one of the games, it's not mine. Otherwise it belongs to me. This particular version of Ashura is mine as well.

**Return of the Elders**

**Chapter 1: Confessions**

_Scene: In the Mystic Ruins jungle, a team of archeologists is at an excavation site. They are digging. (duh)_

Explorer #1: "Slow day huh?"

Explorer #2: "Yep. You'd think that with all the smashed buildings around here, we'd find at least _some_ artifacts."

Just then, explorer #1's trowel clinked against something.

Explorer #2: "I think you found something!"

Explorer #1: "It's probably just another rock. Help me get all this soil out of the way."

They quickly removed the dirt, and the object was revealed to be a large stone tablet covering a shaft of some kind.

Explorer #2: "Hey guys! Jake's found something!"

Explorer #1, who had been identified as Jake, was busy trying to push the tablet off of the shaft.

Jake: "Gimmie a hand with this thing, will ya?"

Explorer #2 stood next to Jake and started pushing. The lid held for a moment, before sliding off. Immediately, a burst of black fire erupted out of the hole and enveloped the two explorers, instantly incinerating them. The fire dissipated, leaving a small pile of charred bones and ash. An eerie, high-pitched laughter echoed around the area as the ashes were scattered by the wind.

----------------------------------

_2 months later, my POV._

"Ashura! Hurry up or we'll be late!"

"Alright, alright! I'm almost done."

I finished toweling my fur dry and checked my reflection. I hadn't changed much in the last year. I had a few more small scars from accidents in the lab that were barely visible under my fur, which had darkened slightly. I still had the ones I got from Shadow, three vertical lines on my right arm that ran from my shoulder to my elbow.

Tails pounded on the bathroom door. "Come on! I don't want to miss the train!"

"Okay, okay." I said, pulling on my shoes and gloves. "Why do you want to take the train, anyway? You can fly!"

"Because I'd get too tired, and the Tornado's still out of commission after the last time you tried to fly it, now come on!" At this I sweatdropped. One day I asked Tails to show me how to fly the Tornado. We went out several times, and each time something bad happened. Last time he let me fly, I lost control completely and we crashed shortly after takeoff. I opened the bathroom door and walked out. "Let's go."

We met up with Sonic and Knuckles at the train station.

"So anyone want to explain why we're going to a museum all the way in Central City?" asked Sonic.

"You've seen all the news about the new tomb discovered in the jungle, right?" Sonic nodded. "Some ancient artifacts have been recovered from the site," Tails continued, "they were transported to the museum to be put on display, and Knuckles was asked to do some translation work."

"And I figured you guys might like to see the exhibit before anyone else." Knuckles added.

_"The train headed to Central City will be departing in ten minutes. I repeat. The train headed to Central City will be departing in ten minutes."_

"We'd better get on board." I interrupted. "There's something I need to tell you all."

We purchased our tickets and entered our cabin. "So what'd you want to tell us?" Tails asked.

I took a deep breath and decided to just come out and say it. "I'm from another dimension." Sonic gave me a weird look. "That's it?"

"I don't think you understand" I said, and began to tell them everything.

------------------

I had told them everything, from the day I came to this world, up until I woke up in the hospital. Knuckles had been listening with an air of disinterest, Sonic looked bored, and Tails was hanging on my every word.

"I've been trying to figure out how this happened, but I can't think of anything..."

Tails' ears perked up. "I have a theory. You said we're video game characters in your world, right? And everything that's happened lately is in a game?" I nodded and elbowed Sonic in the stomach, as he was starting to snore. "And people write stories about us too?" I nodded again. "You wouldn't believe the number of Sonadow fics out there." Sonic gave me a weird look. "Sonadow?"

"It's a... How should I put this? It's a story that involves a romantic pairing between you and Shadow." Sonic blanched.

Knuckles chuckled. "You better not tell Amy that."

"Anyway..." continued Tails, "What if the collective imagination of all those people on your world actually brought ours into existence?"

"Is that even possible?" Sonic asked. I shrugged. "How should I know? I'm no philosopher."

I yawned. "Not that this isn't interesting, but I'm gonna take a nap. We've got a long ride ahead of us."

I woke up as the train was pulling into the station. _"Last stop, Central City. Everyone off."_ I sat up and stretched my arms, as I'd had a cramp since we passed Westopolis.

A few minutes later we had all retrieved our various pieces of luggage, and had gathered outside the station. "How long are we gonna be here, exactly?" I asked Knuckles, eyeing the size of the suitcases the group was carrying. "Just a few days. There's a hotel next to the museum, and we've got a couple rooms there for the week."

"A week, huh? I guess I can be away from the lab for a week. But what about you, Knuckles? Don't you have to guard the Master Emerald?" Knuckles shook his head. "No, Samson's got it covered."

"Samson?" Knuckles glared at me and crossed his arms. "You should know, you're the one who dumped him on my island." I thought about it for a moment. "Oh! That echidna who fought me over my Bangles." Knuckles nodded angrily. "I hate to interrupt, but we've got company!" Sonic shouted, pointing towards the mob of robots charging at us.

There were many models of robots, but the majority of them were variations of the same design. They looked just like large eggs, painted bright orange, with arms and legs bolted on. They were armed with an assortment of weapons ranging from lances, to pistols, to rocket launchers. Knuckles shifted into a fighting stance. "Eggpawns. Good, I could use a good workout." He launched himself into the nearest eggpawn and sent it into another with a powerful right hook. The robots exploded, taking out another three.

Sonic shot past me and spindashed through one of the larger robots, one looked like an unfinished prototype of E-123 Omega. The 'bot fell to the ground, cut in half. Sonic halted his attack just in time to avoid being flattened into a pancake with a giant hammer. The hammer wielding robot grabbed Sonic in its left hand and started to squeeze.

"Let him go!" Tails took to the air, spinning his namesakes for lift. He flew at the hand holding Sonic and threw a small white mouse onto the wrist, where it detonated and blew it clear off the robot's arm. Tails caught Sonic's wrists as he fell, and they nodded at each other. Sonic curled up into a ball as Tails drew back his feet. Tails kicked forward, electrifying his shoes, and firing Sonic at the machine in a perfectly executed Thundershot. Tails turned to me and his eyes filled with terror.

"Ashura! Look out!" I swung my arm out, ring energy concentrating around my hand. I spun around 360 degrees, my hand passing through something on the way. I looked behind me and saw an eggpawn, its lance raised and ready to impale me through the back. The eggpawn's chest sparked and it fell in two, neatly bisected from under its left arm to above its right leg. I flashed a grin to Tails. "No problem." The ground trembled as a second wave of robots approached.

"My turn!" I gathered energy around my hands like I had before, but instead of charging in and carving my way through, I focused the energy even further. I watched as the energy condensed into several shuriken. I leapt into the air and launched the shuriken into the crowd, using my momentum for added power. The blades struck home, slicing neatly through metal before curving around and striking again and again. It was several minutes before the energy shuriken dissipated, and a fair amount of my strength with them. I leaned against a tree to catch my breath.

"We should get to the hotel..." I suggested, once I had sufficiently recovered.

_"That went better than I'd hoped. I still can't believe that they accepted it so easily. But something's bothering me... Oh, well. I'll talk to Knuckles about it later."_

**A/N: I won't be updating this story as often as I did my other one. I'm writing this as fast as I can, but it's harder because I'm making this up as I go. I'll try to update at least once a week. No guarantees though.**

**Until next update,**

**Shin-Ashura**


	3. The First Elder Awakens

**Return of the Elders**

**Chapter 2 - The First Elder Awakens**

We had finished cleaning up the debris from the battle and were headed towards our hotel. Being the fastest in the group, Sonic and I had gone ahead to check us in. We picked up our keys and were waiting in the lobby for the others to show up.

"Sooo..."

"What is it, Sonic?"

"Who's your favorite?

"Huh?" I looked over at him, confused.

"Who's your favorite? Is it me?"

His meaning eluded me for a few moments, and then it dawned on me. Sonic was asking me who was my favorite character was. _Who is my favorite?_ I asked myself. _Shadow is cool, but he has trouble expressing his emotions. Sonic is too cocky for his own good, and feels the need to constantly show off. Knuckles is hot-headed and incredibly gullible, and Tails can be annoying when he starts talking about this or that. I don't really know any of the others, so that leaves_... "...Amy."

Sonic had a look of utter disbelief on his face. "Amy! You like _Amy_ more than me?"

I shrugged. "Why not? She's cute, sweet, strong enough to take down Eggman with one hit, fast enough to keep up with you, and she's standing right behind you, so you might want to duck." Sonic sweatdropped, but did as I suggested. And just in time too, as Amy's Piko-Piko Hammer swished through the air where Sonic's head was just milliseconds before. Sonic grabbed one of the room keys from my hand and dashed off.

I raised an eyebrow at Tails and Knuckles, who were attempting to stifle their laughter. Emphasis on _attempting_. "I assume you filled her in on my 'condition'"

"Yup. We told her everything you told us." Tails replied.

"So you really think I'm cute?" I smiled at Amy. "Of course. If you were a little older, I'd probably ask you out on a date; but you're not really my type." Upon seeing Amy's blush, I chuckled. "I can see why Sonic likes you." I tossed her another of the keys. "Your room's across the hall from ours." Amy said her thanks and ran off.

I turned back to the guys. "What?" They quickly looked away. "So where are our rooms?" Knuckles asked.

"About that... we were only able to get three rooms, so we're gonna have to share. I figured Tails could stay with Sonic, and we could split a room. Besides, there's something I need to talk to you about."

-----------------------------------

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

I set my satchel on the bed that I'd picked out. Our room was fairly simple, two twin beds, a television, and a bathroom. There was also a large window that gave us a good view of the museum.

"Has Tikal ever mentioned to you something called the Elders?"

Knuckles stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The Elders? I don't think so, why?"

"She's been in my dreams a lot lately. Her message varies a bit, but it always ends the same. _The revival of the Elders is at hand. Use the chant to rouse them from their eternal sleep. You must find them before the dark one returns!_"

"Chant?"

I shrugged. "I don't know any chants, unless..." I thought back to the poem that had been burned into my memory within hours of arriving in this world.

"The Servers are the seven Chaos. Chaos is power, power enriched by the heart."

The Ancient Bangles on my wrists started glowing.

"The Controller serves to unify the Chaos."

The glow was getting quite bright now. My eyes were starting to hurt, and it was getting hard to concentrate, but I felt compelled to continue.

"The Elders strive to protect the balance of this unity."

The light covered my body, mingling with the aura of my rings. Unfamiliar words sprang from my lips, as if someone else was speaking in my voice.

"**_Ancient one, hear my call and awaken! Your power is needed once more!_**"

The light faded, and I was hit with a wave of intense fatigue. A high-pitched screeching noise reached my ears, and I felt my body shutting down. But instead of blacking out, I found myself floating. Knuckles ran strait through me to my body, which had fallen to the floor.

_Oooh... That's gonna hurt tomorrow._..

My surroundings suddenly went dark and a bright white light appeared in front of me. The light took on the form of a giant diamond.

_No, not a diamond... An Emerald? The Elders are the Super Emeralds!_

_"How very perceptive of you, Ashura. It took you much longer last time."_

Before I could retort, there was a gust of wind, and I was blown into the Emerald's side. Its surface rippled like water as it drew me inside.

_"Welcome to my humble abode"_

I surveyed my surroundings before turning to the speaker. I was in a large chamber made of crystal that greatly reminded me of the inside of the Master Emerald. A man was standing in the middle of the room.

He was dressed in a long grey coat and grey pants. In fact, just about everything about him was grey. Grey eyes, grey hair, even his skin had a grayish tinge.

I gathered my courage and attempted to speak. "Who are you, and how did you know who I am?"

The man chuckled. It was cold and completely emotionless. _"My name is Kyo. And I have known of you for a long time. I will explain fully if you are able to defeat me."_ Kyo summoned a long katana in front of him and grabbed it. I felt a weight in my hand, and I looked down at it. There was another katana in my hand. It was nearly as long as I was tall, and it set me slightly off-balance. _It's a good thing I know how to use this._ I thought, settling into a fighting stance.

_"Good, let's begin."_ Kyo charged at me and slammed his sword into mine, sending a spray of sparks to the floor. He drew his sword back and brought it forward again in a low horizontal slice intended to cut me in half. I leapt back to avoid the attack, and launched my own. I threw myself forward and curled into a ball. I rolled in-between Kyo's legs, slashing at his calves as I went. I got up and spun around, holding my katana so that it turned my jump into a deadly spiral slash.

But it seemed Kyo had seen this coming, as he had placed himself just outside my range of attack. As I slowed down, he stuck his blade out and it connected with mine near the point. With a loud CRACK, the last ten inches of my katana snapped off and went flying.

I watched in horror and amazement as Kyo took a step toward me, the wounds on his legs already healed. _"You tried that last time, as well."_ he taunted. I growled. "I've had it! What's with all this last time business!"

_"Defeat me and find out. Give me all you've got."_

"Fine! Have it your way!"

I raised my broken katana straight up in the air. I started the preparations for my Holy Barrage attack, channeling the energy into the sword instead of my hands. The blade took on a golden hue, and I closed my eyes.

_I've probably got enough rings, and the Super Emerald should be strong enough_...

I opened my eyes as a surge of energy shot through my body. Kyo's eyes widened as he saw my quills rise, forced up by the sheer amount of power running through me.

_"What are you doing?"_ His quavering voice betrayed his surprise and a small bit of... _Fear?_

**"This is your last chance. Yield, or perish!"** My voice held a lot more power in it than my last time using a super form; probably because I'd actually used an Emerald, and a Super Emerald at that.

Kyo gritted his teeth. _"I never give up!"_ I blinked, taken aback. During the entire battle, he had never raised his voice, even a little. It had always remained at the same pitch. **"Very well." **I shifted my grip on my sword and flew straight ahead, bringing it down along the way. Kyo tried to block my attack, but his efforts were in vain as my blade passed through his guard and him as well.

I found myself standing just behind him, my sword edge covered in his blood. I gave it a little twirl to flick the blood off, and turned around. Kyo looked like he was frozen in place. That was when the blade of his katana fell apart with a tiny PING, and blood started spurting from a long wound from his neck down to his right side. He fell to his knees, and from there to the ground.

I stuck my sword into the ground and sighed, my quills returning to their normal position as the power that was keeping them up faded. Kyo groaned, rolled over, and sat up. He fingered the shallow wound on his neck, which was quickly healing, and laughed. It was a genuine, thrilled, day at an amusement park with no lines kind of laugh; and it proved to be contagious, as I was soon laughing right next to him.

It was a full five minutes before we stopped laughing long enough to catch our breath. _"It's been a long time since I laughed like that."_

"What do you mean?"

_"Each one of the Emeralds, Chaos or Super, represents a certain emotion. The silver Emeralds represent clarity, and being the spirit of the silver Emeralds, so do I."_ He explained.

"Clarity?"

_"Clarity is the lack of emotion that comes in a moment of true understanding, such as just before death. It is basically a void, hence my name."_ (A/N: For those of you who don't know, kyo can mean void in Japanese.)

Kyo took off his belt and passed it to me._ "Take this. It was left in my care for the day that a champion would come forth to restore the balance. It will give you the clarity you need to see the way."_

"If it's for some great champion, why are you giving it to me?"

_"Ashura, YOU are that champion!"_

My jaw dropped. "ME! But I'm no MMPH!" Kyo had placed his hand over my mouth, effectively silencing me. _"Something's coming... You must go." _My surrounding started fading, and I was being pulled backwards. "Wait!" I shouted, "you never told me how you knew my..."

**A/N: The identities of the Elders have been revealed!**

**I've been looking forward to this for a while. I'm planning a different battle for each of the Elders, but I could use some help thinking up names. If you have a suggestion, leave it in a review. But remember, it needs to correspond with an emotion.**

**Thanks for the help!**

**Shin-Ashura**


	4. Eggman Attack!

**Return of the Elders**

**Chapter 3 - Eggman Attack!**

"...Name! Huh?" I looked around. I was sitting straight up on one of the beds in my hotel room. Someone must've lifted me onto it. _Probably Knuckles,_ I thought, _he's the only one strong enough._

I felt a weight in my hands and looked down. Lying in my hands was a black leather belt with a silver lion's head clasp. It was the same one Kyo had given me. "How did this get here?" I wondered. "Why does a hedgehog who doesn't wear clothes need a belt anyway?" I shrugged, and hopped off the bed. "No sense in wasting a boon." I slipped it around my waist and tightened it to fit.

I looked at the window just in time, as there was an explosion in the museum, accompanied by an all too familiar laugh. "Eggman... This is a perfect chance to test out my latest creations." I reached into my satchel and pulled out several items; including a pistol in its holster, a pair of spare ammunition clips, and various round objects. I stuck the spheres onto my belt and wedged the clips between my quills. I drew the pistol and took off the safety. "Show time."

----------------------------------------

"Mwa ha ha ha! Give up, Sonic! You can't escape!"

"Never!"

"You're doomed!" Eggman had somehow trapped Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, and Tails in a force field, and Sonic was pounding on it as hard as he could. I was standing behind a door waiting for that inevitable line...

"No one can save you now!"

_That's my cue!_

I kicked open the door, took aim, and fired. A bolt of lightning streaked from my gun and impacted with the robot creating the shield, which immediately started sparking and shaking.

"You were saying?" I said, smirking.

"Ashura!"

"That's my name." _Or at least it is now..._ I added mentally. The robot holding Sonic and the others chose that moment to explode, dropping them to the floor.

"Why are you here, Eggman?"

"I'm here for the Chaos Emerald! Give it to me, or I'll have to take it by force!" Sonic smirked. "You and what army, Doc?"

"Sonic..." I warned. Eggman cackled evilly as he pressed a button on pod's control panel. "This one." he said, as a horde of robots swarmed into view. I smacked Sonic on the side of his head. "You just HAD to say that, didn't you." Sonic rubbed the spot where I'd hit him, and grinned sheepishly. "Oops?"

"Hand over the Emerald and I'll spare your lives." Eggman said, almost casually. Amy stepped forward. "For your information, we don't have a Chaos Emerald. And even if we did, we'd never give it to you!"

Eggman slammed his fists down on his control panel. "Liar! My readings show that there is one right behind you!" The panel beeped, and he scratched his chin. "Odd, this says that there's an energy signature identical to the Emerald coming from... that?" He pointed at me, or more specifically, my belt. I lightly touched the clasp of my belt.

_Same as a Chaos Emerald huh? That gives me an idea..._

"Enough talk!" Knuckles cried. "Let's kick his butt and get out of here!" He leapt high up into the air, only to come back down a moment later, fist first, into a group of 'bots. His spiked fist smashed through an eggpawn and into the linoleum. I sensed a flare of Chaos energy, as several large fireballs erupted from around him. The fireballs exploded, sending fiery streaks into the crowd. I had to shield my eyes from the attack, but when I looked back, Knuckles was surrounded by a large pool of liquid metal.

"Way to go Knux!" Sonic cheered. I merely grinned and fired at an eggpawn that was getting a little too close to Amy. She shrieked and pulled out her Piko Piko hammer as the robot exploded.

_Where does she keep that thing?_

I didn't have time to ponder this, as a particularly stupid eggpawn chose that moment to charge. I saw the attack coming, and turned my pistol on it. One shot disabled its left leg and another went through its head, putting it out of commission. I grabbed one of the spheres off my belt and lobbed it into the middle of a group of robots, who were busy mobbing Sonic. The sphere detonated with a small bang when it hit the ground. There was no visible effect, and Sonic was visibly surprised when the robot he had been grappling with released its hold and collapsed. Seeing his expression, I explained, "EMP grenade. It knocks out all electronics in a small area."

I loosed another round at a 'bot that looked like a small tank that was preparing to fire. Its barrel spun, and the shot hit another tank-bot, destroying it. _Five shots... I need to reload._ I ejected the empty clip and pulled one of my spares from my quills. I slammed the clip into my pistol and proceeded to empty it into the mass of robots.

The weapon I was using was a specially made gun designed to be lethal only to machines. When used on a live target, it can only stun. It used the same principle of magnetism as a rail gun, using a series of powerful electromagnets and plasma to fire a projectile at very high speeds. I was using a special compound that I had developed for ammo. At first glance it looked just like regular water, but it was really a mixture of many different chemicals that, when combined, were capable of storing immense amounts of electricity. I had patented the mixture as an alternative for battery acid, but then it was discovered that it would release the stored energy too quickly, and usually into the one installing the battery. I came up with the idea to use it in small amounts in the same manner as a taser.

The charged chemicals were stored in small plastic capsules and then loaded into the clips. The capsules were very fragile, and would easily break under pressure. As a result, I could only fit five into a clip without the risk of them breaking and shocking me. The electricity delivered by the rounds were more than enough to take out a robot, but barely enough to do more than knock out someone of my size.

I finally ran out of ammo and had to resort to using my EMP grenades, my supply of which was quickly running out. There were piles of destroyed and disabled robots lying everywhere, but far more were up and fighting. Eggman was hovering above the battle in his pod, laughing as he watched us exhaust ourselves. "Hehehe! I should've brought some popcorn!"

"Shut up!" I yelled, throwing my last grenade at his vehicle. He increased his altitude, effortlessly avoiding it. "You missed." He taunted. I held out my right hand, the one holding the pistol, and starting to charge my attack. "But this won't! HEAVEN'S LIGHT!" A beam of widespread destruction lanced from the barrel of my gun, vaporizing many of Eggman's robots, before fading away. The pistol sparked and started smoking, completely fried by the amount of power run through it. "Awww, man! It took me a month to make this! Hmm? HOT! HOT! HOT!" I dropped it and started rubbing my hand on my fur to ease the pain.

"Hehehe... Not bad. But let's see how you deal with THIS!" Eggman pressed another button on his control panel. There was a loud rumbling noise as another of his robots crashed through the wall. Sonic raised an eyebrow. "Haven't you used that one before?"

Eggman cackled as he docked his pod in the robot's head. "Close, but not quite. This is my Eggbreaker Mark Two!" I sweeatdropped. "Gee... How original..." I replied sarcastically.

Eggman scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps, but what it lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in innovation. Observe." The Eggbreaker Mk. 2's right hand slid back into its arm, being replaced by a spiked mace. There was a loud clank as the mace fell to the floor along with at least three feet of chain. It started whirling the mace over its head, before sending the spiked ball through the wall behind us. The Eggbreaker retracted the chain, the mace head slotting into its wrist with a soft clink. I looked back at the rubble that used to be a wall. _I'd better get us out of here before Eggman causes any more damage._ I thought. _If there's a Chaos Emerald nearby, I should be able to warp us away. I just hope it works..._

Over the last year, I had been practicing my Chaos powers. I'd nearly mastered Chaos Magnet, but full usage of Chaos Control has eluded me. Oh sure, I could move small distances with no problem, but anything over half a mile was nearly impossible to do right. One time I somehow wound up fifty feet above the ground, another time I ended up buried to my neck in solid cement. But the worst one happened a few weeks after I got trapped in cement; I was running low on flour for my cake. (Yes, I really do like to cook.) I decided to Chaos Control myself to the store, but I overshot it, and ended up on the other side of the planet! I managed to get some help from Shadow, who happened to be vacationing in the area, but it still took the better part of the day to get back.

I closed my eyes and focused as hard as I could on my friends, and Eggman of course, and mentally 'tied' them to myself. I drew on the power of the Emerald and tried to think of the furthest place from the Chaos Emeralds as possible. I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. _Here goes nothing..._

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

**Another chapter down, and many more to go.**

**I'm still looking for names of the Elders, so please leave your suggestions in a review.**

**Thanks in advance!**

**Shin-Ashura**


	5. The Land of the Seven Suns Pt 1

Disclaimer: Sonic the Hedgehog and all related characters are property of SEGA. Ashura and the concept of the Elders belong to me. As for the idea of the Emerald Spirits... shrugs I got it from multiple sources, so anyone can use them if they want. One of the major sources was the Chaos Troupe from Miles 'Foxy' Prower by YiffyOne. Check it out if you like a lot of action, random comedy, and a hint of romance. It's definitely worth the read!

**Return of the Elders**

**Land of the Seven Suns - Part 1**

"CHAOS CONTROL!"

I held my breath as the energy I'd accumulated left my body. A bright flash of white formed a dome around us, strange glyphs appearing on its surface. The dome glowed softly for a few moments before fizzling out of existence. Everyone looked at me expectantly, and I sweatdropped.

"What was THAT?" inquired Sonic. I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment. "I was going to try to teleport us away from the Emeralds so Eggman couldn't take them, but it didn't work..." The evil genius in question cackled manically. "Too bad for you! The Emerald is mi..." His gloating was interrupted by a deafening CRACK and a blinding flash of emerald green light.

When the buzzing in my ears had stopped and my vision cleared, what I saw nearly caused my jaw to drop. The dome had reappeared, and had turned a deep gold. The glyphs were whirling around faster than I could keep track of, and were making a loud whistling noise. But what was happening inside of the dome was nothing compared to what was happening outside of it. The image of the museum was distorted and fading, as if it was getting bad reception. The sight left me completely speechless.

"What the hell!?! I thought you said it didn't work!"

"It didn't... I mean, I thought... How did?" See? Speechless. A wave of static washed over the dome, obscuring our view of the museum. Suddenly, the ground beneath my feet shattered like cheap glass, dropping me into the dark abyss below.

"ASHURAAAA!!!" Sonic dashed to the edge of the hole, trying to grab my hand before the void swallowed me. His efforts were in vain, however, as I had already fallen too far. I looked up into Sonic's green eyes and grinned. "Don't worry! I'll be fine! Just stop Eggman!" I shouted up to him. He nodded and stood up as the hole sealed itself. I sighed as the last traces of light faded, leaving me in complete darkness. _Now what?_ I mused. I was spontaneously stopped from thinking by the feeling of something squeezing my body, as if a giant fist was trying to crush the life out of me. The pain was excruciating, and before long I had passed out.

---------------------------------------------

"Urgghh..." I groaned as a cool hand was pressed against my forehead. "Where am I?" My voice was hoarse, and my throat felt raw.

_"Shhh. Don't try to talk. Here, drink this; it'll make you feel better."_ The voice was clearly female, and so caring that I felt compelled to open my mouth and accept the drink she offered. The owner of the voice poured a small amount of fluid into my mouth, which I swallowed. I slowly opened my eyes and gritted my teeth. "That stuff is _vile_!"

My caretaker giggled. _"I know, but it'll help."_ I tried to sit up, but my muscles wouldn't respond. "Why can't I move?"

_"Your form is still unstable. It will be a while before your body has recovered enough to move again. You should get some rest."_ I didn't know who was taking care of me, but I felt a certain kinship with her, like I had known her long ago.

"Who are you?"

_"You don't remember me?"_ Her voice sounded hurt, but not overly surprised. I tried to shake my head, but I couldn't. "No. You seem... familiar somehow, but I can't recall ever meeting you."

She sighed and poured more medicine into my mouth. _"Oh well. The memory might fade, but the heart will never forget. Swallow that and try to get some sleep. You should be fine once you wake up."_ She placed a small blanket over me. I yawned and closed my eyes. "I think I'll do just that." just before I fell asleep, I felt her run her hand through the fur on my forehead affectionately, accompanied by the sound of purring.

_"Sleep well, my prince..."_

**A/N: This was originally going to be one long chapter, but I decided to split it up so my readers wouldn't have to wait a long time for an update. The chapter title will make much more sense in future.**

**I'm still looking for names, so leave your suggestions in a review.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Shin-Ashura**


	6. The Land of the Seven Suns Pt 2

**Return of the Elders**

**Land of the Seven Suns - Part 2**

_"Who is he?"_

_"I don't know, but whoever he is, he's cute!"_

I had been feigning sleep the past few moments, trying to determine if these newcomers were friend or foe. I'd been doing a pretty good job of it too, up until the cute comment. A tiny grin crept its way onto my face.

_"I think he heard ya, sis."_ Another, more masculine, voice pointed out.

_"Nah, he's probably just having a good dream."_ She brushed a hand against my cheek fur.

_"Careful! You'll wake him!"_

_"Siegfried, chill."_

_So, his name's Siegfried..._

_"He's sound asleep. Watch."_

I heard her stand up and take a step back. _"What are you doing, Artemis?"_

_Siegfried and Artemis... Just who are these people?_

Artemis' answer was simple. _"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"_ She screamed right next to my ear. It took every single ounce of self-control I had not to jump up and Chaos Control her into deep space. As it was, I settled for rolling onto my side and grabbing her leg with both hands.

"Sure, I'd love another drumstick..." I mumbled sleepily, before biting into her ankle. Not hard enough to break the skin, but enough to cause pain. Artemis whimpered as Siegfried chuckled. _"I think Her Majesty's going to like this one."_ I got the feeling that he knew I was awake, so I released my hold on Artemis and went limp. _"Let's get him back to the castle before you get gnawed on some more."_

Artemis grumbled. _"Whatever..."_ Siegfried picked me up and hoisted me over his shoulder. There was a blinding flash of light, and my senses cut out as I was cast into oblivion.

-----------------------------------------

**Sonic's group**

**3rd person perspective**

(I'll be switching between groups at certain points until we all meet up again.)

Sonic gritted his teeth in pain as Amy daubed some antiseptic on one of the many cuts and scrapes he had received in the battle against Dr. Eggman and his Eggbreaker Mk. 2. "You really don't have to do this Amy. I'll be fine!"

"Don't be silly! We have no idea what kind of bacteria are out here. You might get an infection!" Amy stuck a bandage over the cut. "There, finished." She stood up and brushed the dirt off her dress. Sonic got to his feet and stretched. "I wish I knew where we are. I've been just about everywhere on the planet, but I've never seen anything like this..." The small group of Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, and Amy was resting on top of a small plateau overlooking a large city. Ashura's Chaos Control had unceremoniously dumped them in a pile on the plateau. Eggman was the first to recover, and used that to his advantage. His attack brought the heroes to their senses, and they quickly turned his machine into scrap metal. He departed with his typical rant about how he'll 'get them next time.' Amy, the only one with any kind of usable medical training, quickly set about to treating the few injuries the group had received.

Knuckles was lost in thought. _Ashura said he tried to take us as far away from the Chaos Emeralds as possible, yet l feel a massive amount of Chaos energy coming from somewhere in that city... How can this be?_ He turned his gaze to the city in question. It was shaped vaguely like a wheel with a large castle in the center, suggesting that the city was built around the castle. Knuckles couldn't quite make it out, but he saw what looked like some kind of celebration going on in the town square.

"Guys," he called over his shoulder, "I've a strange feeling that Ashura's in there." He pointed to the castle.

-----------------------------------

My hearing was the first to return, closely followed by sight. I had been deposited in an extravagantly decorated bedroom, complete with a roaring fireplace, crystal chandelier, and even a mini-fridge next to the bed.

"I see you're awake." I tilted my head to the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway was a female cat dressed in an elegant white dress. Her lavender fur was carefully groomed. She had a large ponytail, the same color of her fur, tipped with violet. The feline's amber eyes shone with mirth, and a ruby red jewel gleamed from its place on her forehead. A thin gold circlet rested on top of her head, partially supported by her ears. "I trust you are comfortable?" She inquired.

I bowed my head, not trusting my body enough to bow for real. "As well as can be expected, Your Highness."

The queen giggled. "Please, call me Blaze."

**A/N: Enter Queen Blaze the Cat! I bet the title makes more sense now! (And if it doesn't, it has to do with the Sol Emeralds. Sol translates into sun in Latin, Portuguese, Spanish, and several other languages. So seven suns - seven sols, as in the seven Sol Emeralds.) The Blaze in my fic isn't the same as the one in _Sonic the Hedgehog_ next-gen, but the one from after _Sonic Rush_. I personally believe that the characters from that game are in an alternate universe, and therefore don't exist in this one. I _might_ put in a Silver the Hedgehog cameo, but don't get your hopes up.**

**I apologize for not updating in two weeks, but I just haven't been in a writing mood. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long as this one.**


	7. Changes

**Sorry for the wait, folks. What with school, holidays, family matters, computer troubles, and new games (Final Fantasy XII RULES!! ahem), I just haven't been in a writing mood. I hope this chapter makes up for the delay. Enjoy!**

**Return of the Elders**

**Changes**

"To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Your Majes... I mean, Blaze?"

Blaze the Cat blinked slowly and shrugged. "I was going to ask you the same question. You were found lying in the altar room, and I want to know why." Seeing my confused expression, she gave a more detailed explanation. "As the guardian of the Sol Emeralds, it is my duty to find and eliminate any threat to them or my people." As if to emphasize her point, the edge of the bedspread nearest to her spontaneously burst into flame.

Blaze sweatdropped as she furiously beat out the fire. "Sorry about that," she grinned sheepishly. "I got a little carried away."

"That's okay, stuff like that happens to me all the time. Why, just the other day…" I shook my head. "Never mind. To answer your question, I don't know why I'm here. One minute I'm fighting a giant robot, the next I'm lying in a bed chatting with the queen of an entire country." I wasn't entirely sure if I could trust her, so I conveniently 'forgot' to mention the fact that I wasn't alone in the fight, as well my encounter with the entities Siegfried and Artimus. _I wonder what happened to the others?_

A tingling sensation ran down my spine and I shifted uncomfortably.

"If I might ask, why did you suspect me?"

Blaze's ears drooped. "The healers informed me you were talking about Robotnik and the Chaos Emeralds in your sleep. How do you know about the Chaos emeralds?" I thought franticly to come up with an excuse. _Hmm, that might convince her._ I cleared my throat and prepared to tell her my story. "I found an old tablet while digging in some ancient ruins to the south. It foretold of an evil man named Robotnik who would wreak havoc upon the world with the power of the Chaos Emeralds. I was rushing to tell someone when the robot attacked. There was a flash of light, and then I woke up here." It wasn't exactly a lie, as I had certainly found my fair share of artifacts digging in the Mystic Ruins. (Usually face-first, after tripping on a root or something at high speeds.) Besides, you didn't need to be a prophet to know Eggman's gonna try something with the Chaos Emeralds, which was exactly what he was trying to do when I used Chaos Control to bring us here.

I was about to say more, but the itching I'd been feeling in my leg intensified and I frowned. A moment later it solidified into a more recognizable sensation. Something soft and furry was wrapped tightly around my leg! And what was more, I could feel my leg through whatever was wrapped around it! I yelped as I literally leapt out of bed and landed lightly on my feet, my new appendage sticking out straight. "I have a tail!!"

Blaze seemed amused by my reaction. " Of course you do. All cats have tails." I stared at her incredulously. "But I'm not a cat! I'm a hedgehog!"

"Funny, you look like a cat to me." Blaze replied sassily.

"How could this happen?" I muttered to myself, as I examined my new self. Blaze, overhearing me, gave a suggestion. "Perhaps that tablet transformed you."

"Hmm?"

"Only the Guardians are told of the Emeralds. Finding that tablet must have been a test to see if you were worthy to become one of the new Guardians!" I absent-mindedly ran my hands through my headfur as I pondered this, noting that the barrier that normally dulled the sensations I felt was gone. I held my hands in front of me to determine the reason. My gloves had changed, shifting from the style Sonic and the other Mobians (Sonic had once explained to me that they originally came from a planet called Mobius, but they were transported to Earth when Chaos Control merged the two worlds) wore, into a pair of dark green fingerless gloves. _Probably to let my claws through._ I extended one experimentally before retracting it to continue my examination.

The Ancient Bangles had disappeared, but there were a pair of golden metal plates bolted to the back of my gloves.

"But why am I a cat?"

Blaze crossed her arms. "Felines are most attuned to the voice of the Emeralds. Because of this, the guardians have always been cats." I nodded. "That answers the why, but _how_ did it happen?"

Blaze just gave me a '_you're an idiot_' look. "I thought that was obvious. The Emeralds did it." I sweatdropped, both at the look, and her reply. 'The Emeralds did it' was THE most abused phrase in the entire Sonic fanbase. It was used for everything from... No, scratch that. It was used for EVERYTHING. Although, after all my first hand experience I could believe most of it.

"Okay... So what does this 'guardian' thing include?"

--------------------------------------

**Meanwhile, in the city...**

"Remind me again why we're wasting our time searching for Ashura? He's more than capable of protecting himself." Knuckles crossed his arms. They had spent the past hour and a half searching the city, but they were no closer to finding Ashura or the source of the Chaos energy than when they started.

Tails, who had been examining the local architecture, gave an answer. "Because, none of us can use Chaos Control to warp between worlds. Wherever we are, this isn't Earth."

"Yeah Knux, even _I_ got that!" Sonic quipped. Knuckles grinned evilly and Sonic sweatdropped. "I just set myself up, didn't I?" Knuckles just nodded. "_Any_way…" he continued, "has anyone else noticed something strange about Ashura? Something's just not right about him." Amy's ears perked up. "I know what you mean. Whenever I see him he's always staring off into the distance and mumbling about the 'weird dreams' he's been having."

"Umm, guys?"

"Exactly! And his skill with the Emeralds is unlike any I've seen. Not Even Shadow can dish out the kind of damage he can!"

"Guys? People are staring..."

"And during the ARK incident, he transformed without the aid of the emeralds. Sonic's right, Ashura's definitely hiding something from us." Knuckles banged his fists together, glad to finally express his suspicions.

"SONIC!!"

Sonic, having been completely engrossed in the conversation up to that moment, turned around. "Tails? What's...?"

His sentence trailed off at the sight of the armored soldier with his arms wrapped around Tails' torso, and the half dozen soldiers arranged in a circle around the group, spears at the ready.

They were trapped...

**A/N" Ooh! A cliffhanger! Sonic and co. are getting suspicious, and what about these strange dreams of mine? Why am I asking you guys? I'm the one writing this!**

**Again, I apologize for the delay. From here on I'm going to try to update at LEAST once a month.**

**And now on to story comments. I think this is my best work to date. I was originally going to reveal my connection to Sonic and the gang to Blaze, but I figured I could draw it out longer this way. There were several versions of this chapter in the beginning, but this one worked best. This story arc is about 1/4th to 1/3rd the way done. After that, back to the Elders.**

**Next chapter: Our heroes are in trouble, and I learn what being an Emerald Guardian is all about.**


	8. Reunited

**hums Happy Birthday to himself Welcome to the eighth chapter of Return of the Elders. My birthday was last month, and I am now 17! fireworks go off while fanfare plays in background ; That was a bit much... Anyway, I probably don't need to say this, but I don't own anything in this story. I do own this genuine fox fur coat I got as a present, however. totally shaven Tails smacks Shin-Ashura with Amy's Piko Piko Hammer, takes coat and storms away, grumbling about immature pranks Ow... gets up, rubbing head Ashura and any other OC's are also mine. Now excuse me while I go torture the one who gave me that. (Sonic: Eep! runs off) Smart hedgehog. grabs fire hose and gives chase**

**Return of the Elders**

**Reunited**

"And that is all you need to know for the moment." Blaze finished. Blaze had been giving me the grand tour of her castle while telling me what being a Guardian was about, and I was beginning to wish I had brought a pad and pencil. "Is there anything else you wish to know?"

My stomach growled, answering her for me, and I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment. "Yeah, when's lunch?" Blaze bowed her head. "Follow me."

--------------------------------------------------

The dining hall of the castle was much different than I expected. Instead of the long wooden tables and rich tapestries I had imagined, there was white linoleum floor tiles and a buffet line. The place was more like a high school cafeteria than the dining hall of a castle.

After we had picked out our food (fish, obviously) we sat down at an empty table and started chatting. "For a queen," I said in between bites, "you don't really act very royal." Blaze gave me a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

I set down my fork and crossed my arms. "I meant just what I said. The way you act is too casual for a queen. Although, it's not very surprising considering all the hardships you've had trying to fit in with everyone else as a child."

"You know a lot about me for someone I've just met." I grinned and leaned back in my chair. "I do, don't I? By the way, I don't think I've properly introduced myself yet." I sat up straight. "I'm Ashura."

All noise in the room stopped the instant I said my name. I slowly glanced around to see that everyone in the room was staring at me. Some were gazing at me with fear in their eyes, while others glared at me with enough malice to kill an elephant. And still others were reaching for weapons that were just out of sight. "Perhaps we should adjourn to my study." Blaze wisely headed for the door. "Good idea." I hurried after her, all the way hearing mutters of _"It's him"_ and _"The demon"_.

When we were safely out of the room and in the hallway, I dared to ask the question that was plaguing my mind. "What's their problem?" Blaze didn't answer. She merely motioned for me to follow her and walked off. I shrugged and set off after her.

I was led through a veritable maze of halls and passageways that led deep into the heart of the castle. The area appeared to have been long deserted, the luxurious carpets and electric lights giving way to dusty stone floors and flickering torches. After what seemed like an eternity, Blaze finally came to a stop in front of an old wooden door. She drew a tarnished key from a pocket in her blouse (she had changed back into her normal clothes before she gave me the tour) and unlocked the door and entered the room beyond. I stepped in after her and jumped as she slammed the door behind me and locked it.

"What's going on?"

Blaze's claws ripped through her gloves as she whirled around and slapped me in the face, her claws piercing my skin and flinging a few droplets of blood onto the wall next to me. "What's going on is you tricked me to gain entrance to my castle! I can't believe you stooped so low as to disguise yourself as one of our greatest heroes! Now I'm going to make sure you never hurt anyone ever again!" Blaze practically screamed the last part at me. I just barely managed to dodge as she slashed at me again, this time throwing in her power over fire as well. The resulting heat wave blasted past me, slightly scorching the fur on my right side, before colliding with the cold stone of the wall were it was harmlessly absorbed.(**A/N: I see this attack as a vertical blade of flame that moves along a straight line, kinda like Kirby's air cutter attack in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Back to the story!**) "What are you talking about!? I've never hurt anyone!!" My mind was racing, attempting to figure out why she was trying to kill me. "You call destroying nearly half the kingdom 'not hurting anyone!?' You call killing thousands of innocents and injuring hundreds more 'not hurting anyone!?' You sicken me!" Her accusations left me speechless. It was all I could do to keep dodging Blaze's relentless attacks and intense flames.

_Why aren't my rings working?_ Indeed, all the rings I had collected and saved over the year weren't protecting me like they were supposed to. I could still feel their presence, but it was weak and cold, like they were asleep or something. "What are you talking about!? I've never been here before! This is the first time I've ever been anywhere in this area!" Blaze was furious. "You lie! You have the same name as the monster plaguing our land!" This development truly astonished me, enough for me to stop moving for the split second Blaze needed to get in a hit. It was a powerful kick to my chest, made even stronger by the mystical forces she wielded. There was a loud crack as several of my ribs broke, eliciting an involuntary yelp of pain from me.

I fell to my knees, holding myself up with one arm and putting pressure on my chest with the other. "Your Majesty," I almost growled through teeth clenched in pain, "I don't know what's going on here, but I promise you this: I will hunt down whoever's doing these things under my name and _kill _them!" I couldn't see her face, but I could tell she was surprised by the tiny mew she let out. "You really mean that?" I merely nodded, unable to say anything from the pain of my ribs.

And I really meant everything I said, too. I was a hero to the people of Earth and anyone trying too sully my name in such a manner, even here in an alternate dimension where no one had heard of me, would have to pay. _They can try any other way they like, but mass murder is where I draw the line. My reputation has survived all the dark rumors about my personal life, events where some of my inventions malfunctioned and injured several people, and I'll be damned before I let some psycho ruin it._

I wrenched my mind back to the present and tried to stand up. Blaze rushed to my side and helped me up. "Here, let me take care of your injuries." she led me to a chair that I had previously failed to notice and set me down carefully.

"With what?"

Blazeclosed her eyes and clasped her hands to her chest as if she was praying. A few moments passed, and when she opened her hands a medium-sized roll of bandages was cupped in her palms. "With these." She knelt down beside me and began wrapping the bandages around my chest. "How did you..." I winced as she pulled the gauze tight "...do that?"

"Do what?"

"Pull these bandages out of nowhere." Blaze sat back on her haunches. "I'll tell you later." I leaned back and closed my eyes, satisfied.

"Um, Ashura?"

"Yes?"

"Can you forgive me?" I opened one eye and fixed my gaze on her. Blaze's ears were swept back, and her tail was wrapped around her knees. I thought about it for a moment, before coming to a decision.

"No." Blaze's ears pressed even further back, flat against her skull. "There's nothing_ to_ forgive. It was all just a big misunderstanding." I reclosed my eye and crossed my arms. "Besides, I've never been one to hold a grudge, at least not for very long."

"Thank you."

"No problem."

There was a soft knock at the door. "M'lady?" Blaze got to her feet and unlocked the door. "Yes?" The door opened to reveal a fierce-looking labrador retriever dressed in armor, a halberd loosely gripped in his right hand. The lab saluted Blaze and cleared his throat. "We have captured a group of suspicious individuals who were lurking about the residential district. They were heard talking about the demon Ashura. It seems they know him. They are currently being held in the dungeon."

"Lead the way." The canine soldier turned and started walking away, but stopped when Blaze spoke again. "Oh, and captain?" He turned around and saluted. "Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Have one of your men meet us there with my companion's clothes. My servant should have finished repairing them by now."

"Yes ma'am." The captain of the guard saluted again and marched off. Blaze swept her arm forward. "Shall we?"

----------------------------------------------------

"Here you are, good as new." Blaze's maidservant, a young mouse that slightly resembled Minnie Mouse, handed me a neatly folded bundle of what I assumed were my clothes. "Thank you very much." The mouse tittered before slinking away. "She seems nice." I commented to Blaze as I watched her maid dash off. "Yes, she is. Really jumpy though."

It was only when the mouse turned the corner that I was able to draw my gaze to the bundle of cloth that I now held in my hands. I carefully unfolded the top item to reveal it was a heavy off-white cotton tunic. I slipped the tunic over my head and moved onto the next article of clothing: a pair of black slacks. And at the bottom of the pile, gleaming brightly in the light was... "I was wondering where that was." ...The Belt of Clarity. Or what used to be the Belt anyway. The silver lion's head of the clasp was firmly attached to a sash made of black silk.

Blaze was staring at the clasp intently, so I gave it to her to hold while I finished dressing. "Where did you get that?" I finished slipping on the slacks and pulled my tail through the hole in the back that was obviously for that purpose as I came up with my excuse. "It's a... family heirloom. Why?" Blaze passed the sash back to me, and I tied it around my waist, sighing in relief as I felt Its power flow through me once again.

"It contains a force equal in power to the Sol Emeralds. It could be dangerous if it fell into the wrong hands." I rubbed the lion's head absentmindedly. "Really? I didn't know that. It's always just been my lucky charm." I winced inwardly at all the lies I'd been forced to tell lately. It was gonna hurt when they all came crashing down on me, as lies are prone to do. "Now let's go see these prisoners." I suggested.

Blaze signaled to our escort, who nodded and led us through another corridor to a heavy steel door. He took a key ring off his belt and opened the door for us. As soon as it opened we caught our first glimpse of the cell's occupants. Blaze's words echoed my thoughts exactly.

"Sonic!?"

"Blaze!?"

**A/N: (Sonic: still running away Somebody save me!!) chasing in giant mech Get back here! stops Wait, I'm the author. mech disappears in a puff of smoke I can do anything I want here. points at Sonic (Sonic: encased in a block of ice MMPH!) I'll deal with you later. turns to audience Sorry about that, he just needs some time to 'chill' heheheheh. Anyway, on to story notes.**

**In case any of you were wondering, Blaze's castle is home to many different species, not just cats. Each species is suited to a different job. Mice are suited to being housekeepers and servants, dogs and other canines are guards and soldiers, moles are gardeners, etc. Blaze attacking me wasn't actually in the script. (Sonic: Script? What script?) Quiet you. snaps fingers, duct tape appears on Sonic's mouth It just happened. And the thing with me and Blaze's maid? Me cat, she mouse, me no finish lunch, comprendè?**

**Next chapter: Sonic and co. reactions to meeting Blaze again and my new form, while a monster goes on a rampage. And remember, if you read, REVIEW!!**

**Until next update,**

**Shin-Ashura**


	9. The End of the Beginning

**I'm back!!! Sorry I missed last month's update; I've been struggling with a slight case of writer's block. Hopefully this won't happen again. Anyway, on with the story!**

**Return of the Elders**

**The End of the Beginning**

"Sonic! What are you doing here?" Blaze was surprised, to say the least. The person who taught her to fully use the power of the Sol Emeralds and, alternatively, the power of friendship, was currently locked behind bars in her castle dungeon.

Not wanting to make my presence known to the others just yet, I had withdrawn into the shadows and was listening closely for any important information.

"How'd you get here?! How've you been?" Blaze ripped open the cell door and drew Sonic into a tight hug, eliciting a jealous glare from Amy. "Blaze... can't... breathe..." Sonic wheezed, turning even bluer than usual. Blaze blushed deeply and released Sonic, who started gasping for breath.

I smiled at the scene the two were making, and noticed a curious rumbling noise, almost like a growl. I carefully unsheathed my claws in case of an attack, and glanced around, looking for the source of the sound. I felt really foolish when I realized that **I** was making the noise. I had been purring all along without even realizing it!

_I guess I really AM a cat..._

I resheathed my claws and turned my attention back to my friends, who seemed to have recovered from the initial shock of being reunited with someone they thought they'd never see again, and tried to relax. Knuckles, who had never really liked Blaze to begin with, was leaning against the back wall of the now door-less cell with an expression that suggested he was deep in thought. "I hate to interrupt," he suddenly said, "but aren't we forgetting something? Like why we were locked up in the first place?"

"Oh, yeah," Sonic turned to Blaze, "why _were_ we arrested? We weren't doing any thing wrong."

"What were you doing then?"

"We were looking for a friend of ours. We got separated on the way here and Knucklehead over there said he sensed him in your city. Your soldiers nabbed us while we were talking about him." I was sincerely flattered that Sonic and the others were worried enough about me that they came looking for me, and I had a good idea why they were taken into custody. "What's your friend's name? Maybe I can help you find him." I was pretty sure that Blaze's offer wasn't made purely out of friendship, as she discreetly glanced over at my hiding place. Amy noticed this and tried to follow her gaze, but her eyes failed to penetrate the darkness that the flickering torches in the area provided in ready supply.

"His name's Ashura." Blaze's eyes widened in surprise, and I sighed. _Looks like the cat's out of the bag..._ The irony of that statement hit me a second later and it took a lot of effort not to grin.

Keeping my expression solemn, I stepped out of the shadows and towards the group. "You can stop looking, Sonic," I said, "I'm right here." There was a moment of silence as everyone exchanged surprised glances, which lasted until Sonic scoffed. "There's no way you're him. The guy we're lookin' for is a hedgehog like me; and he's green, too."

_I figured this would happen. How am I going to convince them?_ I thought back to all the times I'd talked to the others about their past in order to get to know them better, searching for some obscure information that very few people would know. _Of all of them, I probably know Tails the best, so I might as well start there._

"Tails, you're afraid of lightning, aren't you?" The young kitsune nodded, a slight blush showing on his face. "Yeah," he said, "I've been afraid of it ever since I was little."

"You would always grab onto me and try to hide in my arms if there was even the slightest hint of thunder. You really startled me the first few times, especially that one night!"

_**Flashback**_

I sipped at my drink and laid back against the grass. The Hero Chao Garden was nice and peaceful, which was why I always came there when I needed to think. Something had been bothering me, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

I watched as a group of Chao got together and started singing. A few of them pulled out instruments and started playing along, and I noticed Tango among them.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh, clean scent of nature. I had come here for some reason I couldn't recall, and it was starting to get on my nerves.

The Chao finished up their song, the music fading into the natural sounds of the garden. My body went limp as I felt all my tension and stress flow out of me, chased away by the soothing ambiance.

The melodious chiming of bells ringing in the wind sang in my ears, accompanied by the sound of... thunder? It was then that my surroundings changed as something soft and furry cannoned into my chest, rousing me from my dream in a rather abrupt and startling manner.

"Wha!?! Tails?!"

There was another flash of lightning outside my bedroom window and the orange ball of fluff that was Tails let out a loud yelp, throwing his arms around my waist and burying his face in my belly-fur. "Tails! What's wrong? TAILS?!" I was still half asleep, but at the sound of Tails's voice I snapped wide awake.

"A-Ashura? C-can I sleep with you tonight?"

I had half a mind to say no and send him back to bed, but the pleading look in the fox kit's eyes just wouldn't let me. "Sure, kiddo. But only for tonight!" But Tails was already asleep.

A loud thunderclap shook the building, and Tails whimpered in his sleep. I gently scratched him between his ears, the way I had used on my cat back on my Earth whenever she was uneasy. _Poor little guy..._ I thought to myself, as Tails unconsciously snuggled up against my chest. _Underneath all his smarts, he's still just a child. What was Sonic thinking, bringing him into this world of his?_

_**End Flashback**_

Of course I knew why Sonic did what he did, he hadn't had a choice. He'd found Tails alone and abandoned during his travels. If Sonic hadn't brought him along, Tails probably wouldn't have survived to see his next birthday.

"Ashura?"

Blaze's voice brought me out of my thoughts and back to the present. I grinned and rubbed the back of my head like I usually do when I'm embarrassed. "Hehe... Sorry, guess I kinda zoned out there for a while..." I was prevented from saying or doing anything else by an extremely pale-faced Captain of the Guard stumbling into the room. (Don't ask me how he pulled it off with his face covered in fur, he was just that pale.)

"Y-Your Majesty..." He gasped. "Urgent news!"

"What is it?" Blaze questioned him, instantly switching into what I like to call 'queen mode.' "To the west... a massive army approaches..." Blaze frowned. "This is grave news indeed, but surely it could've waited until we were finished here?" The captain seemed to have caught his breath but he was still leaning heavily on his spear. "I'm afraid not, Your Highness," he continued, "the army is less than a day away, and it gets worse. The demon Ashura is leading them!"

"WHAT!?!"

-------------------------------------------------------

Kitsune - In Japanese/Chinese mythology, a multi-tailed fox demon. Grows an extra tail every 100 years.

**A/N: Another cliffhanger, am I evil or what? Again, I apologize for the wait. I wish I could say it won't happen again, but there's a good chance it will. I'll still try to update at LEAST once a month.**

**This chapter was going to be much longer, but I didn't want to make my readers wait any longer for an update, so I'll be splitting it up into several pieces (at least 3 about the same size as this one). I'm also planning to do a Q&A chapter, so send any questions you might have to me in the form of a review. And if you have anything you want to say about my story; any compliments, suggestions, or constructive criticism, leave it in a review. Remember, this will help me to become a better writer.**

**This is Shin-Ashura, signing out. Ciao!**


	10. Elder Talk!

Sonic: taps foot impatiently Where is he? If he's not here in five minutes, I quit!

Me: Chill, blue boy, I'm back.

S: About damn time! You've only kept us waiting for... checks watch FOUR MONTHS!!!

M: I know, I know, I just haven't been able to access the Internet lately. Not to mention my laptop is a piece of junk. The battery is shot, and my power cord has a nasty habit of shutting off at the slightest touch.

S: Excuses, excuses. Now make with the story!

M: Actually, I don't have a story chapter this time. Instead, we have... _**ELDER TALK!**_ ™

S: There's no way that's trademarked...

M: Moving on... claps hands, lights come on revealing a TV studio, complete with audience

Announcer: _Welcome to Elder Talk! The interview show the author brings out whenever he's too lazy to write a real chapter!_

M: pulls giant plasma cannon out of nowhere Watch it buddy, or we're going to be looking for a new announcer.

Announcer: sweatdrops _Right... Aaaanny-way, let's all give a warm welcome to our host for tonight: everyone's favorite angsty anti-hero, _Shadow the HedgehogAnnouncer leaves

Audience: applauds as Shadow walks in

S: _What!!_ Why _Him_!?

M: Because he hasn't had a chance to appear in the story yet. That, and he doesn't annoy me half as much as you do.

S: But-

M: Quiet! You can host next time. But for now, go away before I sic a horde of rabid Amy clones on you. Sonic runs away Ehh, what the heck? sends clones after him

S: from far away I'll get you for this! Wha?? No! Stop that! **NOOOOOOOOOO!!** screams fade into nothingness

Shadow: Well, that was amusing.

M: Wasn't it though? sits down in an armchair that wasn't there a second ago I believe you have some questions for me?

Sh: sits in a second chair Correct. We were supposed to have questions from readers, but none were submitted. So instead you'll be answering some of mine, as well as the rest of the cast's.

M: raises eyebrow Such as?

Sh: draws gun, points it at Author Such as why _I_ have yet to appear in this story.

M: sweatdrops You haven't shown up because the script doesn't call for you yet. You don't show up until after we get back, remember?

Sh: Ah, yes. puts gun away, Author sighs in relief I had forgotten that you actually had a script.

M: Some Ultimate Life Form _you_ are...

Sh: I'll forget you said that.

M: And _I'll_ forget that _you_ threatened me with a handgun!! clears throat lets move on.

Sh: Right. The rest of the cast and I have been wondering, what's the deal with your character? Why did you make him so strong? Is he one of the dreaded "Mary Sue" type characters?

M: Wow, that one's a doozy. takes a deep breath, exhales To start: no, Ashura is not a "Mary Sue." Mary Sue's are characters that are usually ridiculously overpowered, seemingly unbeatable, and near omniscient. Of course that's a generalization, but you get the idea. Ashura IS very strong and fairly intelligent, but he also has numerous flaws to balance this out, which will make themselves evident later on. As for your other question, I can't say exactly why Ashura's so strong because it would give away part of the story to our readers. But I WILL say this: it has to with his past and his connection to the mysterious entity named Ash. I can't say any more without spoiling anything, but I hope this answered your question.

Sh: nods And then some. So, exactly how strong are you? As Ashura, I mean.

M: Let me put it this way: at full strength with the proper motivation, I could lift something as big as the Egg Carrier without even breaking a sweat. And that's _WITHOUT_ using my super form _OR_ my powers.

Sh: And yet you claim you're not overpowered.

M: Weeeeellll... maybe a little bit, but the times you'll see me in that state are few and far between. You might see me like that ONCE in this entire story, if we're lucky.

Sh: You mentioned powers, care to explain?

M: My powers are pretty much the same as yours and Sonic's, but with a few small differences. Take my Chaos Control, for example: while you and Sonic can warp to just about anywhere you want as long as you have a Chaos Emerald, I can only move a short distance without risking materializing somewhere other than my intended destination.

Sh: Like the time you got stuck in Amy's bedroom wall trying to skip traffic.

M: sweatdrops Did you _have_ to bring that up?

Sh: Yes, yes I did.

M: Anyway, back on topic. You two also seem to be able to slow and stop time temporarily for everyone but yourselves. Now, I can't do that. But it seems that what I _CAN_ do is alter reality around my body to a limited degree.

Sh: Meaning?

M: Meaning that I can change my physical appearance and traits just about however I want. It's very useful, really, although I usually just use it for comic relief.

Sh: In what way?

M: grins evilly You'll see...

Sh: sweatdrops Ooo-kay... Well, it looks like that's all the time we have for today, so tune in next time for more _**ELDER TALK**_™ on Fanfiction(dot)net!

M: wearing giant pink afro And remember: if you have any questions, you can leave them in a review or e-mail me at shinashura(at)hotmail(dot)com!

Sh: OO;; muttering _They don't pay me enough for this..._

M: still wearing afro We don't pay you at ALL. waves Bye folks!

audience applauds as lights fade away

**A/N: That was my first attempt at anything like this. I hope you liked it and that it cleared up a few things for you.**

**I'm sorry it took so long to get this out, but what with summer vacation and not having Internet access, I just haven't been able to get motivated. Hopefully I'll be able to get going after this. Next story should be up soon, if my other projects don't get in the way. And yes, I AM serious about answering your questions, so please send them in. interview chapters should be posted along with each story one, depending on how many questions are sent in. Thanks in advance!**

**Shin-Ashura**


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